Tuesday, January 12, 2010

MTA Update: Albany Starts to Listen

Our fight to stop huge hikes in the cost of student MetroCards is paying off. But we've got to keep the pressure on.

When the news first broke that free MetroCards for NYC schoolkids were going to end because politicians in Albany slashed funding for the program, Working Families supporters sent more than 11,000 letters demanding that our elected officials restore the money.

Now Albany is starting to listen to us. This weekend, Governor Paterson said he'll propose a way to stop the fare hike.1But until the Governor and state legislators deliver on new funding, free MetroCards for more than 500,000 students are still in jeopardy.

Send a message to your elected officials and the Governor - tell them to save the student MetroCard program:

Last month, the New York Daily News exposed the truth about the student fare hike: the MTA is struggling to keep the free farecard program alive because state politicians quietly slashed Albany's share of the funding by over 75% last year.

That's unacceptable. If this program is canceled, the families of over half a million schoolchildren will suddenly have to pay their kids' way to school every day. That's hundreds or thousands of dollars added to the family budget every year. The Governor and our state legislators have a responsibility to keep our public transportation system strong and affordable for working families.

Tell Albany to follow through on their promises by paying their fair share to support free student MetroCards: